Built-in telephone cabinet



June 3, 1930. c, c, RITCHlE ET AL 1,761,683

BUILT-IN TELEPHONE CABINET Filed July 9, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet l u U L U x I Inventor (aafizlge JED. Fife 5 c Attamqy June 3, 1930. c, c, rrc ET AL 1,761,683

BUILT- IN TELEPHONE CABINET Byfimaaih Azzornqy Patented June 3, 1930 UNITED STATE? PATENT OFFICE CLAUDE C. RITCHIE AND ISAAC D. RITCHIE, OF WICHITA FALL S, TEXAS BUILT-IN TELEPHONE CABINET Application filed July 9, 1928 Serial No. 291,389.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in telephone cabinets and aims to provide a novel, simple and ornamental cabinet adapted to be builtinto the wall of a room to provide a compartment for receiving the telephone instrument and alsoto provide a compartment for receiving the telephone bell, a swinging sheet member being associated with the compartment of the cabinet whereby the user of the phone may rest thereon, said sheet normally forming a closure for the lower compart ment of the cabinet when the phone is not being used.

Furthermore means is providedwithin the lower cabinet whereby to facilitate the storage of the usual telephone directory.

Other objects will become apparent as the nature of the invention is better understood,

the same comprising the novel form, combination, and arrangement of parts, hereinafter more fully described, shown in the accompanying drawing and claimed.

In the drawing wherein like reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of my. im- /proved cabinet sheet member being closed,

Figure 2.is a detail vertical sectlon, the

sheet member being disclosed asin clownwardly swung operative position and Figures?) and 4 are detail horizontal sections taken substantially on the lines 3-3 and 4-4 of Figure 2, looking downwardly in the direction of the arrows.

Now having particular reference to the drawing my novel invention consists of a cabinet 5 constructed in any desirable manner, shape or size, the same being preferably of wood, similar to, the wooden trim within the room within which the cabinet is to be disposed.

' The front side of this cabinet is open and constructed around the edge thereof is a suitable ornamental paneling 6 adapted to engage against the outer surface of the wall when the cabinet is built within a pocket in the wall during or after the construction of the b ilding. As more clearly disclosed in Figu 2 the cabinet is of relatively shallow depth and is provided slightly above its center line wlth a horizontal shelf 7 whereby to divide the cabinet to an upper and lower compartment 8 and 9.

The lower compartment being of slightly greater depth than the upper compartment, the bell unit A of the telephone svstem adapted for arrangement upon the rear wall of the lowermost compartment 9 as clearly disclosed in Figure 2.

The outer face of the upper compartment 8 1s entirely open and is adapted for the receptlon of a telephone instrument B which normally rests upon the compartment dividing shelf 7 as shown by the dotted lines. The front face of the lower compartment at 1tslower end is provided with a short wall 10 while hinged to the upper edge thereof 15 a vertical seat board 11, the inner end of whlch is adapted to be swung inwardly in back of the wall 10 as disclosed by the dotted line in Figure 2.

The inner face of this seat board 11 is I provided at its outer end with a suitable cushion 12 while the outer surface of the board adjacent its upper end is provided with a suitable manipulating knob 13. Directly above the upper edge'of the wall 10 the interior of the compartment 9 is provided wlth a horizontal board 14, the front edge of which has spaced relation with the front edges of the side wall of the compartment and that is adapted for providing a stop for the inner end of the seat board 11 will be trained and swung downwardly to horizontal position to enable one to sit thereon. 4 The inner end of the seat board 11 is equipped with a screw or similar head 15 within the lower wall of the cabinet compartment 9 directly in backfof the wall 10 is a spring clip 16 adapted to be engaged by this head 15 when the seat board 11 is swung upwardly to closed position at further dotted lines to maintain the same in its positionagainst accidental movement.

In spaced relation with the back wall-of the cabinet compartment 9 the wall 14 is provided with a longitudinal shoulder 17 the inner face of which is inclined while arran ed horizontally between he side walls of t e compartment 9 above the wall la and in staggered relation is a pair of cross bars l818 between which the directory 0 is adapted to be arranged, the lower edge of the directory being disposed upon the wall 14 in back of the shoulder 17.

It will thus be seen that I have provided a highly novel, simple and extremely useful built in telephone cabinet that is well adapted for all of the purposes heretofore designated.

Even tholwh I have herein shown and described the invention as consisting of certain detail structural elements, it is nevertheless to be understood that minor changes may be made therein without affecting the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new is:

1. In a telephone cabinet of the class described, a cabinet construction of predetermined dimensions opened at its front side and adapted to be arranged within a wall pocket, a horizontal partition arranged within the cabinet for dividing the same into upper and lower compartments, a seat member hinged intermediate its ends to the lower compartment and adapted to provide a seat when in extended horizontal position, and further adapted to close the lower compartment when in a vertical position, a horizontal wall within the lower compartment, said seat having the inner end thereof disposed within the lower compartment and in abutment with the horizontal wall when in horizontal extended position to support the weight of the occupant, a latch within the lower compartment, means on the inner end of the seat member engageable with said latch for holding the seat in vertical closed position, and means on the wall co-acting with means extending between the side walls of the cabinet for supporting a telephone directory.

2. In a telephone cabinet of the class described, a cabinet construction of predetermined dimensions opened at its front side and adapted to be arranged within a wall pocket, a horizontal partition arranged within the cabinet for dividing the same into upper and lower compartments, a seat member hinged intermediate its ends to the lower compartment and adapted to provide a seat when in extended horizontal position, and further adapted to close the lower compartment when in a vertical position, a horizontal wall within the lower compartment, said seat having the inner end thereof disposed within the lower compartment and in abutment with the horizontal wall when in horizontal extended position to support the weight of the occupant, a latch within the lower compartment, means on the inner end of the seat member engageable with said latch for holding the seat in vertical closed position, and means on the wall eo-acting with means extending between the side walls of the cabinet for supporting a telephone directory, said first mentioned means comprising a shoulder having an angular inner face.

In a telephone cabinet of the class described, a cabinet construction of predetermined dimensions opened at its front side and adapted to be arranged within a wall pocket, a horizontal partition arranged within the cabinet for dividing the same into upper and lower compartments, a seat member hinged intermediate its ends to the lower compartment and adapted to provide a seat when in extended horizontal position, and further adapted to close the lower compartment when in a vertical position, a horizontal wall within the lower compartment, said seat having the inner end thereof disposed within the lower compartment and in abutment with the horizontal wall when in horizontal extended position to support the weight of the occupant, a latch within the lower compartment, means on the inner end of the seat member engageable with said latch for holding the seat in vertical closed position, and means on the wall co-acting with means extending between the side walls of the cabinet for support-in a telephone directory, said first mentioned means comprising a shoulder having an angular inner face, and said second mentioned means consisting of a pair of spaced horizontally disposed bars secured at their ends to the sidewalls of the cabinet.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures.

CLAUDE C. RITCHIE. ISAAC D. RITCHIE. 

